Taking Care of Merlin
by katierosefun
Summary: A series of one-shots/drabbles about sick, badly injured, and/or hurt Merlin. Despite all that, he always seemed to have Arthur to help him out. [No slash, just lots and lots of bromance.]
1. Fever

**I couldn't help it, you guys - I wanted some serious bromance. Can you blame me? I re-watched the season five finale (again!) and I just needed to write some cuteness between Arthur and Merlin and alsfjla;skdfjsdkfjdfkjsdfd... **

**Anyways. I'm totally sane, if any of you guys are wondering. (Haha, lol, nope.) **

**This story, as the summary stated, will NOT be slash, even though I might dangerously lean towards it...just lots and lots of heavy friendship and bromance, so you guys don't have to worry that I might pull a fast one and have you guys read about Merlin and Arthur sharing an intimate relationship or anything. Not that I hate Merthur. Gosh, no, I've read some pretty good Merthur fics, but I'm not totally on board with shipping them...but I don't have anything against it! **

**Aaand I'm done rambling - read on! **

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_"__Fever"_

"Good morning, Prince Arthur," someone said stiffly. "We have a busy schedule today so therefore, it would be proper for me to do as much as I can to help you in the process."

Arthur Pendragon opened his eyes slowly, surprised to hear someone else's voice rather than Merlin's in the morning.

"Where's Merlin?" He asked sluggishly, sitting up in bed.

The man standing at his bedside bowed his head. "Your manservant, Merlin, has arrived nearly an hour late, sir. He was reported to be feeling ill today and so I was assigned to be of assistance for today." He said formerly.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Wait…George, isn't it?"

"That is my name, sire," the servant bowed his head again. "Shall we start with break…"

The servant's voice trailed off as Arthur quickly kicked away his blankets. He shoved on his boots and hopped around his chambers in search for his shirt.

"Sire?" George asked, bewildered.

"Help me with my shirt, George," Arthur said without turning around. "I need to go find my lazy backside of a servant."

xXx

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled, banging open the door to Gaius' chambers. He looked around the room to find that the physician nor Merlin were there. He frowned and stepped into the large room, closing the door behind him. Where was Gaius? Arthur was counting on having him tell him where Merlin is.

_If Merlin made up this excuse just to go to the tavern…_

Arthur mumbled the rest of the threat under his breath and strode briskly across the room to the small, wooden door on the other side.

"Merlin?" Arthur opened the door and poked his head inside to see his servant in bed, his eyes closed and his breathing labored.

Arthur's frown deepened and he walked into his manservant's room. He made his way to Merlin's bedside and watched him carefully.

Merlin's dark hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat and he was much paler than normal except for perhaps his cheeks, which were bright red, undoubtedly from a fever. Despite the blankets that were wrapped around Merlin's seemingly pathetic form, he shook and trembled violently so that it looked almost as though the bed itself was vibrating.

Arthur bit down his lip and narrowed his eyes at Merlin, unsure of what to do. He _was_ always clueless when it came to this sort of thing, seeing that he rarely became ill, himself.

_Put your hand on his forehead – test for warmth, _a small voice at the back of Arthur's head whispered. _Do it!_

Arthur lifted his hand above Merlin's face. He hesitated – what would happen if Merlin woke up? What would he do then?

The prince shook his head quickly to clear his thoughts and firmly placed his hand on Merlin's forehead. He instantly cringed – Merlin's skin felt clammy and the beads of sweat on his forehead had gone cold, yet the skin underneath the sheen was burning and hot.

"Idiot," Arthur muttered, standing up quickly. He looked around the small bedroom for anything that he might be able to bring Merlin's fever down with. _Damn, where was Gaius? He should be helping!_

_Water – towel, _Arthur thought to himself and he marched back down into the physician's chambers. It took several minutes, but he finally managed to find a small bucket of water with a tiny stack of cloths sitting a few feet away. Arthur grabbed the entire pile and took the bucket in his other hand.

With that, he marched right back up the stairs to Merlin's room and once inside, he placed the items on the small nightstand beside Merlin's bed.

The prince quickly took a towel and dipped it into the water. He wasn't quite sure _what _he was doing – just that he wanted Merlin to get better.

Despite the situation, Arthur smiled to himself. Although he would never admit this out loud, Arthur had grown fond of Merlin. There was a sort of endearing, almost _adorable _quality that Merlin had that just seemed to grow on the prince.

Yes, Merlin might possibly be the worst servant that he'd _ever_ had in his _entire _life, but Merlin made him comfortable. For one, Merlin wasn't ever afraid to well, call him a prat. Or a clot pole, whatever that meant.

Of course, Arthur didn't really _like _those nicknames that Merlin gave him, but he realized that he _liked_ being treated that way by Merlin – Merlin was always so casual around him, never too formal (unlike George, thank the heavens for that,) and if the two were under different circumstances, they might have even been good friends.

The strange, tingling sensation of cool water dripping down Arthur's wrist brought him back into reality. He blinked and, cursing himself under his breath for being so idle, quickly placed the towel on Merlin's forehead. Perhaps Arthur had placed it a bit harder than he had wanted to, because at that very moment, Merlin's grey-blue eyes flickered open.

"A'thur?" Merlin whispered hoarsely. "What're you doing 'ere?"

The prince tried for a smirk. "Did you _really _think that you could get away with being sick, _Mer_lin? Why'd you _think _I'm here?" He asked lightly.

Merlin closed his eyes and mumbled, "To tell me to get back…to work…"

Arthur rolled his eyes. Did Merlin really think that Arthur was _that_ oblivious?

"No, you idiot," Arthur replied, adjusting the towel on Merlin's forehead. The younger boy let out a small moan of satisfaction and the prince managed a small smile. "I came here to…_try _to take care of you."

"Least you're trying…" Merlin murmured and with a shiver, he continued with, "I'm cold."

"That's the fever, I think," Arthur replied, bringing the blankets closer around his manservant. His fingers brushed against Merlin's neck for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for the younger man to let out a small sigh.

"What is it?" Arthur asked, surprised.

"Your hands are warm." Merlin mumbled. "And it felt…good."

Arthur smirked and took the towel from Merlin's forehead to re-soak it in the water. "That's just the fever talking, Merlin," he replied. "You'll be back to normal soon."

"Normal…mm…" Merlin murmured and he lapsed back into sleep. Arthur let out a small scoffing noise and shook his head. Typical – Merlin would fall asleep on him.

_He needs it, _he thought to himself and planted the towel back on Merlin's forehead. The younger man's chest was already rising and falling in a steady, even pattern. Arthur couldn't help but to think that Merlin looked _much _calmer in sleep than he was awake.

Then again, that was the same thing for most people.

Arthur smiled to himself and leaned back in his chair, still staring at Merlin. He didn't really mind looking after his manservant, really.

Merlin had grown on him, after all.

xXx

When Merlin woke up, his head felt much better and he no longer shook with fever. He blinked and slowly sat up in his bed. A towel immediately fell on his lap and he stared down at it, confused. Who put it there?

Suddenly, he heard a small, quiet snore and Merlin turned around to see Arthur resting his head in his arms on Merlin's bed.

A small bowl of water was sitting on Merlin's nightstand, as well as a pile of towels. Realization dawned on Merlin's face and he shifted his position on the bed slowly, careful not to wake Arthur. He tugged his blanket away and tucked it around Arthur's shoulders.

"Prat," he whispered affectionately and crossed his legs.

Arthur cared about him, after all.

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**A/N: Fine, maybe that was a BIT cheesy, but I couldn't help it. If you guys have any requests, please feel free to write them in your review...speaking of which, please review, give constructive criticism if you want, but don't flame. **

**See ya'll later! :)**


	2. Burned and Wet

**Wow - I was surprised to see how many people decided to follow this story! :) Thanks for the support! **

**The plot to this chapter was requested by rmatri540. **

**Enjoy! **

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Plot: [Missing scene from 1x13] When Merlin and Gaius return from the Isle of the Blessed, they didn't think that Arthur would still be awake. However, when they reach Gaius' chambers, they find Arthur waiting for them and demanding an explanation for why they were returning so late at night – and why Merlin's shirt was ripped at the chest. And, as luck would have it, during this entire time, Merlin was developing a cough.

_ "__Burned and Wet" _

Arthur Pendragon was still wide awake when he heard the sound of a horse trotting across the square. He frowned. Who would be riding at this time of night? And in this storm, too?

The young prince peered out of the window and almost fell to the ground in shock. (Then again, he _was_ still awfully sore from the last few days…)

Merlin was riding the horse, his hair plastered to his forehead and – _God, was his shirt burned through the chest? – _though he looked cold and wet, there was a large, almost _giddy _smile on his face. Arthur narrowed his eyes through the rain from his window and managed to make out a figure sitting on the horse behind Merlin – was that Gaius?

Sure enough, the older man looked just as tired and cold as Merlin, but he, too, was smiling. Arthur blinked in confusion – what were the two doing at this hour?

He slipped out of his room silently and headed for the physician's chambers – he would have to ask the two where they were all this time. Arthur couldn't help himself – he was worried.

Once inside Gaius' chambers, the young Pendragon sat down on one of the chairs and waited patiently for the two men to walk through the door. For a few minutes, the only things he could hear were the sounds of the fire crackling in the hearth and the rain slapping at the windows.

Then, there was a loud, harsh, _wet_ cough from outside and a minute later, Gaius was easing a flushed Merlin into the room. Arthur immediately stood up, his brows furrowing.

"I'm fine, Gaius, really – what are you doing here?" Merlin froze, taking notice of the prince.

"That's what I'd like to ask you," Arthur replied. "I heard you two come in and it's _midnight." _

He crossed his arms and stared at Merlin's shirt. Arthur's earlier suspicions were right – there was a large, burned out hole at the front of Merlin's shirt and he could make out several burn marks on the boy's pale chest.

"Merlin, what did you do to yourself?" Arthur asked, wide-eyed, as he hurried over to his manservant. Although he would never admit it out loud, he was _concerned_ for him – then again, who wouldn't be? It wasn't every day that Arthur would see his manservant come into the castle this late.

"He was out in the woods, sire," Gaius said suddenly. "It seems that he tripped and…set himself on fire from the fire that he was trying to make."

"And you found him?" Arthur asked, still looking at the burn marks. Why hadn't Merlin reacted yet? Why did he look so…calm?

Gaius nodded. "And, because he was exposed to this kind of weather," he gestured outside, "I fear that he is sickening with a cold as well."

Arthur looked back at Merlin and the younger man held up his hands in protest. "I am _not _sickening with any –" Merlin was abruptly interrupted by a loud, hacking cough into his arm. His shoulders trembled with effort and his face was pinched in pain when he looked back up.

"Right, not sickening with anything – we're supposed to believe that after you tried coughing up a lung, yes?" Arthur asked, sarcasm dripping in his voice. Without waiting to hear an answer, the prince grabbed Merlin by the shoulders and turned him around quickly to force him into the small bedroom in the back.

Immediately, a small, sharp cry escaped from Merlin's lips and he doubled over, panting for breath.

Arthur's eyes widened and he bent down next to Merlin. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"He has a burn on his chest, sire – making sudden movements must have only reminded Merlin now," Gaius said, taking Merlin slowly by the shoulders. The manservant made an odd gasping noise and leaned against Gaius as the two walked up the stairs to Merlin's bedroom.

Worried, Arthur followed the two inside and watched as Gaius settled Merlin into his bed. A thin sheen of sweat was beginning to settle over the younger man's face, coating the skin with a shining, sickening layer.

"Why didn't he say anything before? I wouldn't have grabbed him so hard if he told me that he was that badly injured," Arthur said to Gaius quietly.

Before Gaius could respond, Merlin mumbled, "I'm stronger than I look…"

Arthur managed a small smile and replied lightly, "Is that so?"

Merlin gave the prince a fraction of a nod, struggling to sit up. However, he was pushed down gently by both Gaius and Arthur.

"You can prove how strong you are later, Merlin," Arthur replied, sitting at the younger man's bedside as Gaius walked out of the bedroom to find some ointment to put on the burn.

A smile played at Merlin's lips but before he could say anything, a coughing fit overtook him, forcing the younger man to bend over the other side of the bed. Arthur quickly stood back up and placed a strong hand on Merlin's back soothingly.

When Merlin finally lifted his back up, his eyes were rimmed with tears from the fit. "Thank you," he croaked. "I –"

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur interrupted, helping Merlin lay back down in bed. "I'd rather not listen to you cough again, thank you very much."

The younger man chuckled weakly and murmured, "Prat."

"Infant," Arthur retorted, sitting back down by Merlin's bed.

"You should go back to your own chambers, sire," Arthur heard Gaius say from the doorway. The Pendragon turned around to look at the physician and glanced back down at Merlin, whose smile had vanished. Instead, his temporary happy expression had been replaced by a look of pain and agony. When Merlin noticed that Arthur was looking down at him, he quickly slapped on another smile.

"I'm fine, Arthur," he said with a feeble cough into his fist. Arthur watched as the tips of Merlin's ears burned a strange, red color with embarrassment. "You should go sleep."

Arthur turned back to Gaius and said firmly, "I'm staying."

The physician frowned. "There really isn't any need, sire –"

"I don't care, Gaius," the prince replied, crossing his arms.

"Arthur," he heard Merlin protesting weakly but he interrupted by saying, "Shut _up, _Merlin."

Gaius sighed. "Very well," he replied. "But as soon as I treat Merlin, you must go back to your own chambers."

Feeling like a young child again, Arthur nodded. He sat down next to Merlin and helped the manservant shrug off his shirt. Arthur placed the shirt on the foot of the bed and looked back to see the burn on Merlin's chest.

Though he didn't show any reaction, Arthur couldn't help but to cringe inside. The burn was in a bright red, swollen circle. Some of the flesh had turned into a pink color, but it looked just as swollen and painful.

Arthur forced himself to look down at the floor but too late, Merlin had bent down and looked at the burn. The younger man's eyes widened and he only managed to say, "Oh…"

"Merlin, look back up," Arthur said quickly and the blue-grey eyes of his manservant met his own eyes. It suddenly struck Arthur at how bright they were with fever. He turned to Gaius helplessly, but the older man was already setting work to applying the ointment on Merlin's chest.

Merlin made a small gasping noise as the ointment was applied. Arthur pressed a hand against Merlin's shoulder reassuringly – after all, that was the only thing he felt like he could do at the moment.

Merlin slowly looked up at the prince, bewildered, and Arthur muttered, "Just helping."

The manservant blinked and turned his head back to look down at the burn. However, Arthur quickly forced Merlin to bring his head back up. "I said to not look at it, _Mer_lin," Arthur said.

Merlin winced as Gaius applied the last of the ointment. "You know me, I don't do anything that I'm told." He replied, his voice quiet and sluggish. Arthur couldn't help but to give a small, quiet chuckle – of course.

Gaius stood back up. "I suspect Merlin will need some sleep now," he said.

Arthur stood up. "Of course," he replied, nodding. He glanced back at Merlin, whose eyes were already beginning to close.

"Goodnight," Arthur said quietly out loud. He wasn't very sure who he was speaking to – Gaius or Merlin or both.

However, as he was walking out of Gaius' chambers, he could've sworn that he heard Merlin mumbling, "Good night, Arthur."

And that was just fine with him.

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**A/N: _Please_ review! If you're able to follow/fave/do-whatever-with-this-story, I know that you guys can take two more seconds to leave a review. Please? *Merlin and Arthur puppy dog eyes* **

**I'll even allow constructive criticism, (with very, very clean language, please,) but no flames! Ick - flamers can join Morgana. And I mean the _evil smirk _Morgana who wanted to kill Merlin and Arthur, not the nice, sassy, kind Morgana, mind you. **

**If you have a plot suggestion, I'll take it - first come, first served! :) **

**With that being said, see ya'll later! **


	3. Coming Back

**I am actually exhausted. It's Friday, peoples! *pumps up a fist weakly* **

**And I'll have to go back to school on Monday and take an exam...! *face plants into pillow* **

**This was requested by Ghetta90. I'm sorry if it didn't come out as well as you might have hoped, but I hope you still enjoy it. :) **

**That goes for all of you guys - I hope you all will enjoy the chapter! :) **

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Plot: [Missing scene from 5x09] When Merlin first confronts Arthur to tell him that Guinevere had turned evil, not all goes well. A fight ensues and Arthur angrily leaves Merlin behind in the forest, not returning until much later only to find that the manservant had injured himself.

_"__Coming Back" _

"Face it, Arthur – Gwen hasn't been acting like herself and she was the one who accused me of poisoning you. You know as well as I do that she would never do that unless she was bewitched."

Arthur Pendragon ignored Merlin's pleads. He quickly notched an arrow into his crossbow and inspected the polished wood. Hopefully, he'll be able to get a nice, decent game out of this new crossbow. He had been dying to get outside this entire week and this was the only chance he'd get before being swallowed back into his duties.

Everyone knew how much stress Arthur had at the moment, after all – in fact, no one dared argue against Arthur when he said that he would be taking off to go on a quick hunting spree. Arthur had all of the proper necessities for the hunt – his crossbow, a small bundle of arrows, rope…

For once, Arthur felt almost _at peace. _

So, why was it that Merlin, of all people, decided to pester Arthur?

"Arthur, are you listening to me?" Merlin asked, walking up to the Pendragon. "I'm telling the truth – you've seen it, too, haven't you?"

Arthur brought the crossbow up to his face and narrowed his eyes, looking for a target through the thick woods. He thought he saw a rabbit but when he looked back up, nothing was there.

"Arthur?"

The king put down the crossbow and turned around to look at Merlin. "No," he said firmly.

The younger man blinked. "_No?" _He asked, confused.

"You heard me." Arthur replied loftily, picking up the crossbow. "Merlin, you can't seriously think that _Guinevere _was bewitched by a sorcerer because she accused you of poisoning me. She was uneasy and she didn't know who else to trust – you know how it is."

"Yes, but she's my _friend,_" Merlin protested, walking up closer to Arthur. "She _never _jumped to conclusions before!"

Arthur threw up his hands. "She was stressed, Merlin! What would _you _have done?" He asked.

Merlin opened his mouth; his eyes narrowed indignantly at Arthur but quickly closed it, shaking his head. "You need to believe me, Arthur," he said pleadingly. "I don't want you to get hurt –"

"Guinevere would _not _hurt me – it's not in her nature." Arthur argued, feeling anger flare in his chest. "Now, _Mer_lin, if you're _quite _finished, I would like to get back to –"

"Arthur, please," Merlin shook his head. "Just let me –"

"_No, _Merlin!" Arthur shouted, lowering the crossbow violently at his side. He glared at his friend coldly and continued, "Guinevere _can't _be bewitched – she's been acting as normal as she possibly can and…you're being unfair, Merlin!"

"I am not being unfair, Arthur!" Merlin yelled back. "Can't you see it? She's – she's _changed_ and you're just too blind to see it! You _have _to –"

"That's enough, Merlin!" Arthur said angrily, stepping up to Merlin so that the two were face to face. "Don't you get it? _So many _people have betrayed me – Guinevere can't be one of them! I lost her before, too, and losing her will _not _be an option!"

Merlin backed away a couple of steps. "Arthur." He murmured sadly. "I know that you don't want to believe it, but take my word for it."

Arthur shook his head. "I don't have time for this." He muttered, turning around on his heel.

"Arthur!"

Arthur heard Merlin running towards him. Instead of turning around to face him, Arthur sped up his space. He was being stupid and petty, but Arthur had enough of hearing that his friends and loved ones were betraying him. Morgana betrayed him, Agravain betrayed him – now Guinevere?

He just didn't want to think about the idea anymore.

"Arthur!"

"Go away, Merlin!" The blonde yelled over his shoulder, ducking in between the trees. "I want to be alone!"

"No, you don't – Arthur, you can't just run away from something like this!" Merlin shouted back. His voice was getting closer but Arthur still didn't turn around.

"Arthur, please – oof!" There was a sudden, sharp cry and the sound of ripping fabric and a thump followed quickly after.

Arthur froze in his tracks and paused, his anger quickly fading away. "Merlin?" He called out worriedly. "Merlin, what happened?"

For a few seconds, a cold, unfriendly silence met the blonde. Arthur frowned and backed up by a couple of steps. "Merlin?" He called out again.

This time, a low, pained moan met Arthur's ears. He felt his heart sink and looked around wildly for his friend.

"Merlin?" He yelled, putting down the crossbow. Arthur took a couple of steps forward and suddenly felt one of his feet take a sudden drop. He cried out in surprise and before he could fall, Arthur took a quick step back to find that he had almost fallen into a pit.

Arthur slowly lowered himself to the ground and peered down into the pit. His eyes searched the bottom of the pit until they landed on a familiar form.

"Merlin!" Arthur cried out, relieved. "Are you alright?"

"No." Merlin groaned back up, lifting his head. His hands were clasped over his leg and Arthur could make out the twisted, pained expression on Merlin's face.

Arthur cringed and shouted, "Wait a moment – I'm going to get the rope!"

He quickly stood up and doubled back to his small bag of hunting supplies. He dug through the bag and yanked out the rope. Arthur untangled the rope in his hands and ran back to the pit. He threw down the rope, careful to not hit Merlin on the head.

"Do you think you can grab the rope?" Arthur shouted.

"I'll try." Merlin replied weakly. The Pendragon watched as his friend slowly inched towards the rope – he couldn't even get up.

As soon as Arthur saw that Merlin's hands were latched around the rope, he tugged him up. It took a couple of moments, but Arthur finally managed to drag Merlin up.

Once Merlin was back on ground level, Arthur propped him up and looked down at his leg. "What happened?" He asked, already forcing Merlin to remove his hands.

"Fell," was Merlin's reply.

Arthur shook his head. "I _know _you fell, you idiot," he said. "I want to know how _bad _your leg is."

Merlin closed his eyes. "I'm alright." The younger man said, already fighting to stand up. "I didn't see where I was going and – ow!"

Arthur's eyes widened as Merlin toppled back to his feet. He grabbed Merlin's arms and slowed down his fall so that he wouldn't land on his face.

"Arthur, I'm fine…it's nothing…" Merlin mumbled as the blonde began to examine his pants. Arthur finally found a rip on the shins of Merlin's pants and ripped off a piece of his own shirt despite the younger man's protests.

"It doesn't look too bad," Arthur muttered under his breath. "I've seen worse."

He made quick work on the bind. Arthur finished the rest of the bind with a firm, tight tug and sat back, looking over his work again. He couldn't meet Merlin's eyes.

The simple truth was that Arthur felt guilty – the two had just fought and now Merlin was going to go for the rest of the week with a limp (again).

And frankly, Arthur hated feeling guilty, especially if it had Merlin involved.

"I'm sorry, Arthur." Merlin mumbled suddenly. "I know that you didn't want to hear this now."

Arthur managed a small shrug. "Doesn't matter right now," he replied. "We should probably go back to the castle – you need to rest your legs."

He looked up to see Merlin staring at him intently with the same, guilty expression that Arthur was sure that he had in his own eyes.

"Come on," Arthur said quickly, standing up. He carefully pulled Merlin to his feet. Almost immediately, the younger man stumbled and crashed into Arthur's side.

For a fraction of a second, Arthur had the image of a puppy running into a tree. He bit back a smile – now was not the time to laugh.

Instead, he took one of Merlin's arms and swung it around his shoulders. Arthur wrapped his own arm around Merlin's torso and grabbed the bag of supplies in his other hand.

"You don't have to do this," Merlin said quietly. "I can walk up by myself – you probably want to have some more free time to yourself."

"And have you fall into another pit?" Arthur snorted, forcing his tone to be light. "I don't think so."

Merlin gave the king a sheepish smile and adjusted his position at Arthur's side. "I didn't mean to ruin your afternoon, Arthur." The younger man continued.

"You didn't ruin it." Arthur fibbed, staring straight ahead.

"Yes, I did." Merlin replied. "I could have chosen a different time to tell you about Guinevere –"

"Shut up, Merlin." Arthur said quickly. "If it makes you feel any better, I promise that I'll…check on her later. But for now, just stay quiet and focus on walking, alright?"

Arthur heard Merlin give a small, exasperated sigh.

"Fine." The younger man replied. "But you promised."

Arthur smirked. "I did," he agreed. "Now, do as I say and _stop talking."_

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**A/N: As always, please review! I know that some of you guys don't like reviewing for chapters because your request wasn't in the next chapter and to be frank, I've always been confused about that...I just found that a bit unfair, because everyone who gives a request will eventually get his/her chapter in time. Again, my request system goes by _first come, first served_ or something like that. **

**So, according to my request system, the next chapter will be fulfilling elisabeth49's request and then there will be a chapter with natcel's request. **

**With that said, please review, give constructive criticism if you have any, and don't flame! You can go join creepy Agravain or bewitched Guinevere or scary, bitchy Morgana if you like flaming people. **


	4. Of Messy Boots and Unnecessary Actions

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with a new chapter of ****_Taking Care of Merlin!_**** Thank you so much for all of the awesome support - it really means a lot. :) **

**This was requested by elisabeth49 - I hope this chapter came out as well as you hoped, but just in case, I'm sorry if you were disappointed - I always try really hard to do these requests as well as I can. **

**Now, with that being said - read on and enjoy! **

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Plot: Arthur _thought _that Merlin looked a bit peaky in the morning – unfortunately, he didn't say anything about it until Merlin threw up all over his boots in front of the council.

_"__Of Messy Boots and Unnecessary Actions"_

The signs that Merlin wasn't feeling his best were all there. The paleness, the thin layer of sweat over his brow, the flush in his cheeks, the brightness of his eyes – all of those things should have sent a red flag for Arthur Pendragon.

So, why didn't he notice the red flag?

It was probably because he was so goddamn busy – the second he woke, Arthur was forced to go straight into training new knights and council meetings and patrols. His mind was reeling when Merlin told him his schedule, and, instead of thinking about how ill his manservant looked, he was thinking about how he was going to manage his time.

Instead of asking Merlin how he was, Arthur told the younger man to muck out the horses' stables while he was gone on a patrol.

Instead of noticing how Merlin looked more and more tired, Arthur yelled at him for sleeping on the job.

By the time Arthur went to the council meeting, he was severely annoyed with Merlin – the manservant could be _such _an idiot, sometimes.

Now, Arthur was listening to nearby sightings of Saxons crossing the border. He frowned at the thought. It was troubling, really – they were getting bolder as each and every day passed. Rumors had also spread to Camelot that the Saxons were looking for something – but what?

"Arthur."

The prince turned around to look at Merlin, who was standing by one of the pillars in the room. His face was blank, but Merlin's eyes were wide and pained.

"What?" Arthur whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I need to leave. Now."

Arthur sighed and rubbed his brow. "And _why _is that?" He hissed, darting a glance over his shoulder at the council. Thankfully, they were too involved in the debate about the Saxons to pay any attention to the prince.

Merlin shook his head. "Can't tell you now…just…please?" He asked pleadingly.

Arthur blinked at the desperation in Merlin's voice. He gave his manservant a good, hard stare and slowly, small details about Merlin jumped out at him. For one, Merlin was sweating. Arthur watched as a small bead of sweat trailed down his forehead and disappeared from sight along Merlin's neck.

Merlin's face was also pale – not that it wasn't pale before, but Arthur could have _sworn _that the younger man's face wasn't quite as white as it was now. There was a strange, pink flush in Merlin's cheeks and his eyes were much too bright to be considered healthy.

The prince was about to reply when, too late, Merlin had lunged forward and vomited right onto Arthur's boots.

The entire council went silent and the back of Arthur's neck burned in embarrassment as they turned around to look at him.

Letting out a small breath, Arthur slowly shifted out of the way, (making disgusting, squelching sounds in the process,) and rubbed a hand against Merlin's back in comforting, relaxing circles. The younger man coughed out the rest of the vomit and leaned against the pillar, his face paler than ever.

"I'm sorry," Merlin gasped, tears appearing in his eyes. "A'thur, I didn't –"

"It's fine, Merlin," Arthur replied quietly, not looking up to face the council. "Come on, let's get you back to Gaius."

"Gaius…isn't here." Merlin whispered, wiping his sleeve over his mouth. "He…had to visit the villages."

_Dammit, _Arthur thought to himself, but shook his head. "No, matter," he replied. "We'll just see what we can do while he's gone."

He finally looked back at the council and gave them a small nod. "I'll escort my manservant back to his chambers – he needs help."

The council didn't say anything. Instead, they all turned to Arthur's father, Uther, who stared at the prince with an incredulous, almost _annoyed _look.

"That is not your job right now, Arthur," the king said sternly. "Someone else can do that."

Arthur shook his head slowly. "It'll only take a few minutes," he replied calmly. "I'll be back."

Without waiting for his father to argue back, Arthur led Merlin out of the room. He kept one hand on the younger man's back in case he would get sick again and focused on taking off his boots with his other hand.

Merlin watched Arthur warily and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Arthur managed to roll his eyes as he placed his boots against the wall. "No matter," he said lightly. "You'll be the one polishing and cleaning them afterwards."

Merlin gave the prince a weak, halfhearted smile and the two set off into the hall. The floor was cold underneath Arthur's floor, but he didn't really care at the moment – he needed to get Merlin back into his bedroom where he can rest.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier, Merlin?" Arthur asked quietly as they made a turn around a corner. "If you truly didn't feel well, you could have just told me."

"You were busy," Merlin replied breathlessly. "And there were more important things for you to do."

The prince felt guilt stab into his heart. He regretted yelling at Merlin and forcing him to muck out the stables. Merlin had Arthur's best interests in heart, even if he could act like a moron.

Arthur swallowed, wondering how to respond to Merlin. He walked on a couple more steps before replying, "It doesn't matter – you could have told me, anyways."

The manservant let out a weak laugh in response. Arthur managed a small grin and finally reaching the door to Gaius' chambers, stopped walking. He opened the door quickly and the two young men headed inside.

"Come on, then," Arthur said quietly, leading Merlin up to the small bedroom in the back. He set him down in the bed and forced him to lie down.

"I'll be right back," Arthur said, running out of the room. He looked around the physician's work area – there ought to be a bucket or a basin here, somewhere, yes?

Arthur sighed in frustration and peered underneath the tables for anything that might catch the contents of Merlin's stomach if he was to vomit again.

_Bucket…bucket, _Arthur thought to himself, looking frantically around the room. He shifted some books around the tables and opened several cabinets to continue his search. _Bucket…bucket – aha! _

Arthur pulled out a large, wooden bucket from the corner of the room. Within a second, he was back at Merlin's bedside, dropping the bucket on top of the nightstand.

"What's that for?" Merlin mumbled, opening a bleary eye.

"Just in case you decide to throw up again," Arthur replied, sitting down. "I can't have you getting sick all over the floor, now, can I? It'd be _awful_."

Merlin chuckled feebly before sinking back underneath the covers of the bed. "Thank you." He whispered hoarsely. "You didn't have to help, you know."

"Yes, I did."

Those words were out of Arthur's mouth before he could even think it over. He blinked and looked down at Merlin, who was staring up at him curiously.

"Why?" He asked.

Arthur cleared his throat and clasped his hands on top of his lap. "You're my manservant, Merlin," he replied slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the wooden planks of the floor. "And…"

"And?"

Arthur cleared his throat again, only this time, it was much louder. "And a friend."

When the prince looked back up, Merlin was staring at him with the most peculiar expression. A small smile was playing at his lips, and though his cheeks were flushed, anyways, Arthur thought that he saw a bit more color return to his face.

"Oh." Merlin mumbled, looking down at the covers and sat up with a start. "Arthur, you still have the council meeting!"

Arthur felt his heart sink for a second. He had forgotten about it completely!

Then, he looked back at Merlin – at his position in the bed, at his weak form, at his pale face – and instead shrugged. "Missing one meeting isn't the end of the world," Arthur said casually. "Besides, I'll have many more to attend to and I'll bet that it'll be about the same thing. Now, _you, Mer_lin," he gently closed his hands around Merlin's shoulders, "need to get some rest."

Merlin must have been tired, for he didn't struggle against Arthur's grip. He slowly sank back into the bed and with eyes closed, he mumbled, "You don't need to skip the meeting…"

"We're not going to have this conversation _again_, Merlin – that's an order," Arthur replied carelessly, pressing a hand against Merlin's brow. Stunned, Arthur quickly drew back the hand.

The younger man's forehead was burning up and Arthur hadn't done anything about it before!

_Stupid, _Arthur thought to himself, standing up. He ventured back into Gaius' work area to find a cloth and a pail of water or something else of the sort.

After ten, rather long minutes, Arthur finally managed to find the items. He headed back up the stairs to Merlin's bedroom and sat himself down next to him.

Dunking a towel into the water, Arthur looked over at Merlin. The manservant's eyes had reopened and they were staring right back at Arthur.

"I thought I told you to get some rest," Arthur said crossly, taking the towel out of the pail and pressing it against Merlin's forehead.

"I am." Merlin replied.

"No, you're not – you're staring. That doesn't count as resting," Arthur argued.

"It's not like staring is really doing anything!"

"But is it going to help you get better?"

"…but I'm still not doing anything!"

Arthur rolled his eyes and said, "Stop being stubborn and just _sleep!_"

Merlin sighed and replied, "Fine, fine – I will. See?" To prove his point, he settled back into his bed and closed his eyes.

Arthur smirked and readjusted the towel on Merlin's forehead before resting his head on a hand. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but Arthur had realized that most of the towels on Merlin's forehead had been used up. He took one of the older towels and started re-soaking them when Merlin suddenly leaned over the bed and vomited.

Arthur quickly shoved the bucket underneath Merlin's chin and rubbed the younger man's back soothingly as he coughed up the rest of the throw up. Merlin made small, gasping sounds and grabbed Arthur's shoulder with a shaky, weak hand.

"Art'ur…" Merlin whimpered, picking his head up from the bucket. "Art'ur, it hurts."

The prince slowly placed the bucket back down on the floor and took a towel from the nightstand. He dabbed away any remaining vomit that might have gotten on Merlin's face and patted his back with the other hand.

"Your fever's almost gone down, Merlin," Arthur replied soothingly. "If you're throwing up, it means your body is getting rid of it. You'll be back to normal in no time."

"How would you know?" Merlin asked tiredly.

Arthur smirked. "I knew Gaius longer than you have, Merlin," he replied lightly and placed the towel in the small, growing pile on the nightstand. "Now, go back to sleep."

Merlin sighed and pressed his face against the pillow. "Thank you, Arthur," he mumbled, and though the manservant's words came out a bit muffled, Arthur heard it perfectly.

"You're welcome, Merlin," the prince replied with a smile, patting Merlin's back.

* * *

**A/N: If anyone's wondering, I think this scene might take place in either season two or mid-season three. I think. I don't really know - I also brought the Saxons thingie out of nowhere. I just didn't know what the council might be talking about, so...if I got the Saxons tidbit wrong, please try to ignore it - I was never good at writing about that sort of stuff with war and battles and etc. *winces* Same thing goes for fight scenes and politics. It's just not my division. (If any of you guys got that reference, you're awesome. Well, actually, you're awesome either way - being in the _Merlin _fandom alone makes you awesome. Oh, dear, I'm rambling again.) **

_**Anyways, **_**next chapter goes to natcel! If any of you guys want to see something else, please feel free to drop it in a review. :) (I will only accept requests through reviews - yes, I know that's mean of me, but...*grins sheepishly* reviews are good!) **

**With that being said, please review, give constructive criticism (if you have any) and please don't flame! Flamers will be tossed down to...mean Mordred! Not that nice, sweet, lovable Mordred, but the bad one! **


	5. Don't Be Dead

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with yet ****_another _****chapter of this story! This goes out to natcel - thank you for the support! I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't ****_totally _****what you had in mind, but I hope you enjoy it, anyways! **

**That goes for the rest of you readers! Enjoy! **

* * *

Plot: [Alternate ending to 5x10] Instead of the Great Dragon finding Merlin, Arthur finds Merlin at the top of the tower.

_"__Don't Be Dead" _

"Sire, over here!" Percival yelled, walking ahead. The knight was pointing at an abandoned fire with weak, flickering flames licking at what appeared to be…a body.

Arthur took a few steps forward and looked down at the burning body slowly. Though most of the skin had been burned away by the fire, he had a vague impression that the victim was a woman.

_This must've been the sorcerer that Gaius warned me about, _he thought grimly to himself.

"What do you think happened to her?" Gwaine asked, looking into the flames.

"Someone caught her, I suppose," Arthur replied, taking a couple of steps away from the fire. "And whoever caught her didn't stay around."

Percival turned around and pointed at a large, looming tower that stood before them all. "She might have gone in there to hide – maybe she was dragged out." He looked back at Arthur. "Perhaps we should go in there."

Arthur nodded slowly, unsheathing his sword. Without another word, he walked into the tower. He couldn't help but to feel an odd, sinking sensation in his stomach – he couldn't really explain it. There wasn't anything to fear – the tower looked deserted and empty enough.

The feeling in Arthur's stomach didn't lessen as he mounted a twisting pair of stairs that spiraled around a stone wall. He looked over his shoulder to see Gwaine and Percival waiting for his command. Arthur allowed them to follow him with a gesture of his hand.

Wordlessly, the three men mounted the stairs. Arthur abruptly stopped to a door. He kicked it open to see a large, dark room before him.

Gwaine and Percival immediately went in first. "There's another staircase here!" Arthur heard Percival yell.

"I'll go," Arthur said. "You two should head back down – see if there's anything or anyone in the area."

Though both Gwaine and Percival looked rather reluctant to leave so soon, they gave a brief nod and walked back down the stairs.

Arthur held his sword out in front of him and slowly made his way up the staircase – this one wasn't quite as winding or long as the other staircase. As soon as he reached the top, he was greeted with a gust of wind. Arthur was at the top of the tower.

For a second, he marveled at the view and quickly turned around. He wasn't alone.

Arthur stopped short in his tracks. His eyes widened and he felt his heart plunge into nothingness – for none other than Merlin, his idiotic manservant and best friend was lying on the ground. Merlin's eyes were closed and his skin was pale, but to Arthur's relief, his chest was rising and falling in shallow, bated breaths.

"Merlin?" Arthur unsheathed his sword and quickly ran over to him. He crouched down next to the dark-haired man and shook his shoulder. "Merlin, wake up."

For several long seconds, the younger man did not stir. Arthur felt panic slowly creep into his heart and looked around quickly for any possible wound that might potentially be the source of Merlin's unconsciousness.

It didn't take too long for Arthur to notice blood trickling down from Merlin's side. Swallowing down his fear, Arthur quickly rolled up Merlin's tunic to reveal a small puncture in his skin that he could only assume came from an arrow. Or at least, Arthur _hoped _it was just an arrow.

"Right, Merlin," Arthur said aloud, gathering his friend in his arms. "I'm going to need you to wake up." He paused and looked down at the sleeping form in his arms. "Please, Merlin."

No answer came.

Arthur swallowed – hard – and started to make his way down the stairs, careful not to trip or drop Merlin in the process. Merlin was much lighter than Arthur thought – the younger man hardly weighed anything compared to the other things that Arthur had to carry whilst training when he was younger.

"Gwaine! Percival!" Arthur yelled once he walked out of the tower. "Come here!"

The two knights didn't waste any time – within seconds, they were both gathered around Arthur and Merlin.

"What happened to him?" Percival asked, looking down at Merlin with wide, concerned eyes.

"Arrow, I think," Arthur replied. "We need to get him to Camelot – to Gaius. I…he's not waking up."

"He's not dead, though, isn't he? I think he's breathing." Gwaine said, examining Merlin with the same, worried expression that Percival and Arthur wore on their faces.

"No." Arthur replied quickly, looking down at Merlin. The younger man still hadn't moved or shown any sign of regaining consciousness – if Arthur hadn't seen his chest rising, he would've really thought he was dead.

"He'll be fine, Arthur." Percival said quietly.

"He will be, once we get him to Gaius." Arthur muttered and without another word, he walked ahead. He could feel Gwaine and Percival's eyes being trained on his back, but he didn't really care. All he wanted was to _make sure that Merlin would be alright. _

_What did you do this time, Merlin? _Arthur thought to himself as he shifted his grip on the younger man. _Probably something stupid, yes? _

Arthur didn't expect an answer. He hurried faster towards Camelot. For all he knew, his manservant might be taking his last breaths.

Merlin didn't say anything until Arthur could see the gates of Camelot.

"Ar'tur…?" Merlin whispered, his eyes flickering open weakly.

Arthur almost dropped his friend in shock. He looked down at Merlin and managed a small smile. "That's right, Merlin – surprised to see me?" He asked, looking back up at Camelot's walls.

"'m sorry, Ar'tur…I needed to…to…" Merlin struggled to find an answer. Arthur's smile faded off his face and shook his head quickly. "You don't need to explain, Merlin," he said quietly. "For now, just keep quiet and stay awake until we get to Gaius, alright?"

Merlin gave Arthur a small nod and let his head fall back into the king's arms. Arthur exhaled and turned around to look at Gwaine and Percival, who were staring at him curiously.

"He's awake!" Arthur shouted and the two knights smiled with relief.

"Ar'tur?" Merlin murmured.

The king looked down at his friend. "I thought I told you to keep quiet." He said.

"No, it's not that…" Merlin winced and continued, "You're too loud."

Arthur cringed. "Oh," he whispered. "Sorry. Hang on, Merlin, we're almost there."

xXx

When Arthur heard that Gaius had cleaned Merlin up, he didn't waste any time to go see him.

"Merlin?" Arthur called, walking into the younger man's bedroom. Merlin was perched on his bed, a bandage wrapped around his side. Though he looked tired, the small smile on Merlin's face told Arthur that he was allowed to proceed.

"How are you feeling?" Arthur asked, coming to a slow stop in front of his friend.

"Much better." Merlin replied, shifting his position on the bed. He looked up at Arthur and murmured, "Thank you – for finding me."

Arthur gave an uncharacteristically modest shrug. "I kept thinking that I was going to run into something…unsettling." He said slowly and placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder. He swallowed as the younger man looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

Arthur swallowed. "For a second, I thought you weren't going to wake up – I thought that there was some permanent damage done to you." He said in a quiet, hoarse voice.

Merlin blinked in surprise. He slowly stood up and shook his head. "No, Arthur," he replied. He gestured to himself with a halfhearted smile. "See? I'm fine."

Arthur nodded and managed to say, "I know – I just didn't…I didn't want to think that you were really…or you could've been…gone."

Merlin stared at the king. Arthur felt heat crawl up to his cheeks – what was he thinking? He shouldn't have said that – did Merlin think that Arthur was –

"No." Merlin replied quietly. He gave the blonde a small smile. "No, I'm going to be at your side, like I always am – protecting you."

Arthur felt something inside of him crumble apart. He laughed lightly under his breath – he knew as well as Merlin that the manservant had said something like that several years ago.

"Protecting me, hm?" Arthur finally asked with a large grin. "Just remember who saved you back there."

Merlin laughed and shook his head. "Oh, Arthur…" He murmured.

"Don't 'oh, Arthur' me, Merlin," the blonde replied, giving his friend a playful shove. He straightened himself and smiled at Merlin. "Now, get some rest – I've bothered you long enough."

"Finally admitting it, then?" Merlin murmured, slowly laying back in his bed.

Arthur rolled his eyes and walked towards the door. "Go to sleep, _Mer_lin."

* * *

**A/N: Well, I was struggling with this chapter. :/ I'm sorry - I don't think this was my best work, but I still hope you all liked it. As always, please review and give constructive criticism if you have any - just no flames, please! If you have a request for another chapter, please don't hesitate to drop it in your review, either! **


	6. The Truth

***talking to my laptop*Come on, baby, just five more minutes! Five more minutes to give a note! Please! *turning back to readers* My laptop isn't very nice to me. Seriously. *sighs* I love my laptop like teenagers love their cars...*blinks* Wait, I'm a teenager. But I don't have a car...yet...? **

**I don't even know what I'm talking about. I rant too much. XD **

**_Anyways, _****this chapter was requested by whatswiththemustache. I'm sorry if it's not as great as you expected, (I'm still getting used to this entire request system...*winces*) but I hope you like it! :) **

**Thank you all for the support! Enjoy! **

* * *

Plot: [Alternate ending/missing scene from 4x06] Arthur _knew_ that Merlin wasn't in the tavern for two, whole days. He _knew _that it was something else – so why was Merlin gone for that long? Arthur, being the person he is, decides to look for a proper answer.

_"__The Truth" _

As soon as Merlin closed the door, Arthur's smile faded. For a few minutes, he didn't do anything except simply stare at the ground and tap his fingers on the armrest of the chair. Arthur's head was spinning in so many directions, trying to answer so many questions.

His first question – _where was Merlin – really? _

Arthur wasn't a _complete _idiot, (though he was fairly sure that Merlin thought of him that way…) and he _knew _that Merlin didn't go to the tavern for two days. According to Gwaine, (who frequents the tavern,) and Leon, (surprisingly,) they've never seen Merlin in the tavern unless there was something truly, truly wrong. And, to Arthur's great surprise, that rarely happened.

So, if Merlin wasn't in the tavern, then _where was he? _

There was also another question that kept coming back to Arthur – _how did Merlin survive by himself? _

Of course, Arthur was relieved beyond measure to see that his friend was alive and healthy, (well, as healthy as a scrawny, young man could be, anyways,) but there was something that bothered him after he and Gwaine brought Merlin back to Camelot.

Arthur had searched the ditch where Merlin came from _hundreds, _if not _thousands _of times. He had searched that _area _thousands of times, and each time, he didn't see Merlin. Besides, the last time Arthur checked, Merlin was surrounded by bandits in his weak, injured state. There was _no possible way _that he could get out of _that _situation unscathed…

He lowered his legs from the table and with a sigh, pushed himself out of his chair. Arthur stared out the window, where Merlin was being 'taught' how to polish armor from George. Apparently, his friend had managed to somehow persuade the stiff, uptight servant to work outside.

A small smile spread across Arthur's face as Merlin feigned an enthusiastic smile at George as he picked up the polishing rag. Arthur was pleased to see his friend happy and well and if anything, he wanted Merlin to stay that way.

But the questions Arthur had were _still bothering him_. Merlin was hiding something from Arthur and whether the manservant liked it or not, he would _have_ to tell Arthur what really happened.

_You _could _just find out yourself, _Arthur thought to himself and crossed his arms, already forming a plan in his mind.

xXx

"What do you _mean _Morgana took Merlin?" Arthur asked incredulously, wide-eyed at Gaius, who was pretending to be very interested in the floorboards.

"Morgana took a hold of Merlin and…used magic on him, sire." Gaius replied. "She used a snake of dark, dangerous magic that would force him to do anything she asked."

"What did she ask him to do?" Arthur asked quietly.

"She wanted him to kill you, sire." Gaius replied, clasping his hands in front of him. "Morgana's plans weren't very successful – Merlin's not a very good…killer, as I'm sure you know already."

Arthur managed a small laugh – _that _was true enough. For heaven's sake, Merlin would actually _sadden _to see a dead animal!

He turned back to Gaius and asked, "Is there anything else I should know about?"

The physician opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly shook his head. "No, sire," he replied with a bow of his head. "You can be assured that Merlin is well and rested."

Arthur nodded and with a nod of thanks, walked out of Gaius' chambers. It would appear that he needed to have a rather _long _discussion with his manservant.

xXx

"You never told me you were captured by Morgana!" Arthur shouted as soon as Merlin walked into his champers. The younger man flinched and froze in his tracks. He slowly turned around, wide-eyed.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"Gaius told me. It wasn't that hard, really. He couldn't exactly use the tavern excuse, seeing that I've told him that Gwaine and Leon already told me that they hadn't seen you in the tavern during the last two days." Arthur replied, standing up and walking over to his friend with crossed arms.

Merlin gave Arthur an incredulous, disbelieved look. "Were you really _that_ worried about me?" The manservant asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Don't change the subject," Arthur said hastily. "Why didn't you tell me you were taken by Morgana? I'm not stupid, you know – I _knew _there was something wrong when you got out of the ditch."

Merlin blinked and frowned. "I got out of a ditch?" He asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Arthur introduced his hand to his forehead and sighed. "_Yes, _Merlin, you climbed out of a ditch, covered in mud. Don't you remember that?"

Merlin shook his head. "No." He replied. He slowly brought his hands together behind his back. "Er…did Gaius tell you anything else? About what happened to me, I mean."

"Hm…" Arthur sarcastically murmured, rubbing his chin. "Gaius _also _mentioned that Morgana _tried _to get you to kill me – which you failed at miserably."

Merlin managed a weak smile. "What a lucky thing, hm?" He said.

"I don't think luck had anything to do with it – I don't think you'd be able to kill me, even _if _you were under someone else's influence." Arthur stated matter-of-factly and walked over to his manservant. "Why didn't you tell me about all of this?"

Merlin, like Gaius, suddenly became rather interested in the floor. "I didn't want to worry you." He replied quietly. "Besides, it's not _that_ important and you have other things to worry about –"

He was promptly interrupted by a quick, sudden embrace from Arthur. "What are you –"

"Idiot," Arthur muttered, rubbing his hand against the top of Merlin's head affectionately. "Did you _really _think that your safety wasn't important to me?"

He heard Merlin laugh lightly into Arthur's shoulder. "Never knew you cared." He replied lightly.

"I _do _care, Merlin." Arthur said, his voice quieter this time. He finally let go of his friend. Merlin gave Arthur a small smile and then said, "So, does that mean I get the day off?"

"Shut up, Merlin," was Arthur's only reply.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I tried. *smiles sheepishly* Plus, I wanted hugs. Hugs are good. *goes and hugs a tree* WHADDUP,_ MERLIN_ REFERENCE! XD (I've been watching a lot of ||Superwoman|| so...and nigahiga. Best. Youtubers. Ever.) **

_**Anyways,**_** I've got an idea for the next chapter, but I'll still take requests! :) (Get ready for some sick!Merlin...heeheehee...)**

**As always, please, please, PLEASE review - if you guys can take two seconds to fave/follow this story, I think you can take ten more seconds to review. Please? *Arthur puppy eyes* **

**I'll allow constructive criticism, but no flames please! :)**


	7. A Satisfactory Answer

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! School is ****_finally _****out for me, too! YAAAY! *throws confetti in the air* And for those of you who are ****_still _****stuck in school, hang in there, break is almost here! :) *flashes a big thumbs up - Merlin style* **

**Thank you so much for the support! Though this isn't my ****_best_**** chapter, I still hope you guys enjoy it! :) **

* * *

Plot: It was a bad idea for Arthur to bring Merlin on a hunting trip. When Merlin becomes ill, Arthur is the only one who can properly help him.

_"__A Satisfactory Answer" _

The second Merlin lit the fire; Arthur had to catch him from face-planting on the ground. It was quick – the younger man fed the flames and a half-a-second later, he was tumbling down. Luckily, Arthur had seen him just in time.

"Merlin!" Arthur quickly grabbed the back of his friend's jacket and yanked him back. He backed Merlin away from the fire and set him down on a fallen log. Arthur knelt down before Merlin and looked at him worriedly. "What was that all about? Are you alright?" He asked, waving a hand in front of his manservant's face.

Merlin slowly lifted his face. Arthur's heart sank immediately – something was wrong. For one, Merlin's eyes kept sliding in and out of focus. His eyelids fluttered and a sheen of sweat hung over Merlin's face.

Arthur pushed his hand up to Merlin's forehead and sighed. The idiot had gotten himself sick _again._

"How are you feeling, Merlin?" Arthur asked, taking off his gloves and easing Merlin back on the log.

"Tired. Thirsty. Hot." Merlin mumbled, snapping his eyes open. "Ar'tur, I don' think I like huntin' anymore…"

"I know." Arthur replied, bringing out a canteen of water. He slowly lowered it to Merlin's lips and tilted his friend's head up to the water. "So, for now, we aren't going to hunt. Your job is to just sleep."

Merlin swallowed down the water and closed his eyes. "M'kay…" He murmured sluggishly and within a few seconds, the younger man was fast asleep.

Arthur sighed and sat down next to Merlin, staring into the fire tiredly. This entire _day _had been tiring for him – he had been on a hunting trip with Merlin for nearly two days now and though everyone had warned him to stay inside the walls of the castle, Arthur was _dying _to go outside. So, one day, he simply told Merlin that they would go on a hunting trip.

Merlin didn't question it – he packed their things, readied the horses and the two were ready at sunrise. The king had a strong suspicion that Merlin almost _pitied_ him, but that idea was ridiculous – Arthur just wanted some fresh air and this time, he was going to spend it with Merlin.

Because, though Arthur didn't like to admit it, Merlin was the only person he felt _human _with. Of course, Gwaine and Percival and Leon and Elyan were wonderful, brave, good knights and friends. However, there was something different about the way Arthur talked with Merlin – maybe it was because Arthur had known Merlin for more than four years now, or maybe it was because Merlin was a servant.

Either way, the king appreciated Merlin's company more than he could ever admit.

And he cared more for Merlin than he could ever admit.

So, naturally, he was feeling a _bit _worried about his friend's present state.

Arthur rubbed his brow and looked back down at Merlin, who hadn't moved a single inch since he had fallen asleep. The king looked around the woods and sighed. Night was quickly falling upon them.

Arthur slowly leaned back against the log and tossed another uneasy look at Merlin again before closing his eyes. He didn't even have any medicine to give Merlin. They didn't have any blankets or potions, which Arthur now wished he had.

The king let out a small sigh and willed himself to sleep – he would have to get up early and bring Merlin back to Camelot as soon as he possibly could.

xXx

Arthur quickly found out that sleeping next to an ill Merlin was _not _a wise move. Merlin moaned in his fevered sleep, kicking his legs and thrashing about. Arthur woke up with a start and sat up. He turned to look at his friend with widened eyes.

"_No – no – get away from him – Ar'tur –" _

Arthur's blood turned into ice at the sound of his name. His hand hovered above Merlin's arm and he slowly looked down. His friend looked truly distressed – tears were beginning to spill from Merlin's eyes. His breaths were coming out in rapid, uncontrollable gasps and his front was drenched in sweat.

_"__It's my fault – all my fault – don't hurt him – I won't let you –" _Merlin cried out, trembling. His head jerked from side to side, his bottom lip shaking in the threat of more tears. Suddenly, a loud, anguished cry ripped from Merlin's mouth and that was enough for Arthur.

He grabbed Merlin's arm and shook it carefully, making sure that it wouldn't be so gentle that Merlin wouldn't notice, but at the same time, it wasn't so rough that Merlin would get hurt.

Thankfully, it did the trick. Merlin's glazed eyes snapped open and he looked around blindly until he caught sight of Arthur.

"Ar'tur…" Merlin swallowed, his voice not becoming any louder than a rasp. He turned his head slowly over to the king, tears streaming down his face. "Ar'tur…"

"I'm right here, Merlin." Arthur said quietly, slowly lying down next to him. "I'm right here…did you have a nightmare?"

Merlin gave a small nod, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. He shuddered and whispered, "It was…horrifying."

"I'll bet." Arthur replied quietly, gently placing a hand on Merlin's forehead. It was damp with sweat and radiating with heat. He bit down on his lip nervously – for all Arthur knew, Merlin might be dying from the fever.

Arthur sincerely hoped that Merlin wasn't dying.

Please.

Arthur let his head fall back to the log and he wrapped an arm around Merlin's shoulders. He couldn't help himself – he _needed_ to comfort Merlin, somehow. Or, maybe Arthur was doing this to comfort himself – he wasn't sure. All he knew was that Merlin was sicker than Arthur had ever seen him (with the exception of seeing him poisoned all those years ago…) and he _needed _Merlin to be alright.

To Arthur's surprise, Merlin didn't fight back. If anything, Merlin seemed to welcome this gesture. Almost as though on instinct, Merlin curled up right beside Arthur.

The king slowly looked down at his manservant. Merlin's head was perched on Arthur's shoulder, his arms tucked neatly on his own stomach. Merlin's legs were still trembling, but not quite as violently as they had been just a few minutes ago.

Arthur sighed and ran a hand through Merlin's sweaty hair. He looked around – there weren't any witnesses of this particular action except for the horses. "No one is to know of this," he whispered into his manservant's ear with a small smile.

xXx

Arthur woke up when the light from the morning sun filtered through the leaves of the trees around him. He blinked his eyes open and turned his head a fraction of an inch to look at Merlin, who was, bless him, still sleeping away on Arthur's shoulder. Careful not to wake Merlin, Arthur sat up slowly.

He tucked his arms underneath Merlin's legs and carefully, gingerly, stood up. The manservant didn't make so much as a single sound, which, under different circumstances, Arthur would've been grateful for.

This was not one of those 'different circumstances'.

Arthur gently lowered Merlin over a horse and tethered a length of rope from Merlin's horse to Arthur's horse. Hopefully, the rope would be strong enough to keep the horses together.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Arthur swung himself on top of his horse and encouraged the animals to move. Although the trip back to Camelot didn't take too long, Arthur had still turned back to watch Merlin every few minutes or so.

The second Arthur was inside the castle's walls, he dismounted his horse and carried Merlin down.

"Your Majesty," servants and advisors started to interrupt but Arthur didn't pay any attention. He hurried into the castle, still clinging onto Merlin.

"Arthur?" He heard Guinevere call out to him, but he didn't even stop for her. Of course, he felt awful about it, but Arthur just _couldn't stop _– at least, not until Merlin got proper help.

"Gaius!" Arthur shouted, barreling into the physician's chambers. Gaius looked up from his workbench, his face immediately falling at the sight of Merlin still being carried in Arthur's arms.

"What happened?" The physician asked, hurrying towards the king.

"He's ill, Gaius," Arthur replied breathlessly, putting Merlin down on a small bed. "I couldn't help him and we didn't pack any medical supplies."

Gaius placed a hand over Merlin's forehead. "He's burning up," he stated. "How long has he been like this?"

"A day, I think," Arthur replied, running a hand through his hair. "But I can't be sure – he _never _tells me whether he's sick or not."

"Without any assistance – Arthur, thank you for bringing Merlin to me." Gaius said slowly. "But I'll have to ask you to leave now."

Before the physician could shoo the king out of the room, Arthur asked pleadingly, "You _will _call me if something happens to Merlin, will you? Please, Gaius?"

"Of course, Your Majesty." The physician nodded.

Arthur let out a small breath of relief and he allowed himself to be pushed out of the room so Gaius could help his friend.

xXx

It wasn't until the next day when Arthur was allowed to see Merlin. It turned out that Merlin really _was _rather ill – thankfully, the king had brought Merlin help before his health could be any more severe. Now, Arthur was sitting by Merlin's bed, listening to his friend ramble on about anything and everything – of course, Arthur had a hunch that Merlin was only talking to keep his mind away from things, but Arthur didn't really mind. He was simply relieved to see that his friend was awake and talking.

"It's really funny, I suppose," Merlin was saying with a frown. "D'you think if you die in your dream, you're dead in real life?"

Arthur shrugged. "I have no idea," he replied, keeping his tone light. "But either way, I would prefer to _not _see myself die in my dreams."

"Yeah, but it's also _frustrating._" Merlin said, bringing his knees to his chest. "You know, just _waiting _to see if you're really going to _die _and then…you wake up. Ugh."

Arthur managed a smile and chuckled, shaking his head.

"What? Did I say something?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No – you just look like…a child when you say these sorts of things." Arthur replied and quickly added, "It's a good thing, Merlin! It's a very good thing!"

"Looking like a child is a good thing? I'm a _man_, Arthur." Merlin pointed out, though he, too, was grinning.

"Could've fooled me." Arthur shot back teasingly.

"Said the man who decided to hug me in my sleep." Merlin replied lightly, bringing his blankets closer to himself. Arthur froze and stared at the younger man. "How…you remembered that?"

Merlin gave him a small smile. "'Course," he said, "I can still remember it – memory's a bit fuzzy, but…I think you dragged me closer to you or something like that."

"Oh." Arthur replied simply. "Er…do you remember anything else?"

"No, not really." Merlin said. "But…you were worried about me."

"Of course I'd be worried about you – you're my friend."

Merlin seemed to be just fine with that answer.

* * *

**A/N: In case you guys couldn't tell already, I struggled with this chapter. :/ Then again, I've got the feeling that I've said that _many, many, many _times in the notes of this story. *winces* Sorry...? I'm just a naturally shy person, I suppose. (Believe it or not, haha. Nope, I'm actually very socially awkward. *hides behind a book*) **

_**Anyways,**_** please review! I would _love _to hear what you guys are thinking of this story! And doods, let's just take a quick walk down the guilt lane, shall we? I'm pretty sure that if _a lot _of you guys can bother to fave/follow this story (which I'm very grateful for, by the way,) you can take a few more seconds to review and tell me what you thought whilst reading this chapter. I know that some of you guys are busy, but even a one-worded review could make me smile - that goes out for all of the other writers, too! I hate seeing stories that have like, 123 followers and 98 favorites but only _ten reviews. _**

**Seriously - I'm not exactly an expert in math, but I'm _pretty _sure that the ratio isn't very...accurate or whatever. (I don't know how to describe it, lol.) **

_**So please review!**_** Give constructive criticism if you have any, but no flames, please!**


	8. Don't Forget About Me - Part One

**Ergh, this chapter was so challenging for me. I made ****_three versions _****of this story. This chapter was requested by 4everunwritten and I'm sorry if it's not quite as good as you'd hoped, but I tried. *smiles sheepishly* **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Plot: Merlin hit his head, leading to a temporary concussion. For several scary hours, he's unconscious and wakes up in a fragile, weak state. And then, for some odd reason, he can't remember who _Arthur _is.

_"__Don't Forget About Me" -Part One_

xXx

Arthur Pendragon woke up to the sound of Merlin's groans. He slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. It took a few seconds for Arthur to remember where he was.

_Merlin's bedroom, _Arthur thought sluggishly to himself. He looked down at Merlin, who was stirring in his sleep. A small smile played on Arthur's face and he sighed, crossing his arms. Any minute now, Merlin would wake up and everything would be just fine.

Arthur clasped his hands in front of himself and waited patiently for Merlin to come around. He watched as his friend's eyes flickered open. Merlin looked up and rubbed his eyes. "What's…going on?" He murmured sleepily.

"You hit your head, Merlin," Arthur replied. "You've been sleeping for a few days."

Merlin frowned. "A few days?" He asked uneasily and winced, placing a hand on his head. "It hurts."

"It probably does." Arthur mused. He took Merlin's hand and slowly lowered it to the bed. "I don't think you should touch it."

Merlin groaned and closed his eyes. Arthur sighed sympathetically and said, "I'll go get Gaius."

The younger man nodded weakly in reply and rested his head against a pillow. Arthur stood up and walked over to the door. He paused and turned around to look back at Merlin - his chest was rising and falling slowly, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Arthur rubbed his brow uneasily and headed down the small set of stairs that led to the physician's chambers.

"Gaius, Merlin's awake." Arthur said, leaning against the wall. The older man looked up quickly and let out a relieved sigh.

"Has he said anything yet?" Gaius asked, walking towards Merlin's bedroom door. Arthur clasped his hands together and replied, "He hasn't said _that _much except his head still hurts."

"Ah, that's typical." Gaius said with a nod of his head and pushed open the door. Merlin sat up and smiled tiredly at Gaius and Arthur. "Good morning," he mumbled. "I've been sleeping for two days, apparently."

"How are you feeling, Merlin?" Gaius asked, sitting down at Merlin's bedside.

The younger man rubbed his brow. "Um...head hurts...and..." He blinked frantically and his eyes slid out of focus. For a few seconds, Gaius and Arthur held their breaths and watched as Merlin struggled to remain at peace.

Arthur slowly walked forward and sat down next to Merlin. "Are you alright?" He asked, his brow knitting together. Merlin nodded in reply and swallowed. He looked back up and replied, "I'm fine, er, thank you...sorry, I never caught your name."

Arthur felt Gaius' eyes lock on him and he felt his heart sink to his stomach. "Merlin, what are you talking about?" He asked, forcing a smile. "It's...it's Arthur." At Merlin's confused look, Arthur's smile slowly faded from his face.

"Arthur _Pendragon_? The...the prince? The...person who you like to call _prat_?"

Merlin slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry," he replied, and he really _did _look sorry. "I...don't know who you are."

Arthur looked up at Gaius, who was staring at the two younger men with sad eyes. "Gaius?" He asked shakily. "Why...why can't Merlin remember me?"

"The concussion may have modified some memories." Gaius replied quietly.

Arthur brought his hands to his face and felt warmth slowly gathering behind his eyes. _Merlin forgetting who Arthur was? How was that even possible? _Arthur closed his eyes and cleared his throat roughly before opening them again to look back at Gaius and Merlin.

"Will he...be able to remember me later?" Arthur asked slowly.

"It's possible. It depends on how severe the concussion really was." The physician replied and turned to Merlin. "Er...Merlin, do you remember anything?"

Merlin frowned and placed his hands over his knees. "I...remember Ealdor." He said, narrowing his eyes at the blankets of the bed. "I...remember _you, _Gaius, I remember...Gwen, I think -"

"Wait a minute!" Arthur said quickly, looking up. "How is it you remember _Gui__nevere_, but not me?"

Merlin twisted his face into a frown and rubbed his head. "I don't...I'm not -"

"Don't strain yourself, Merlin," Gaius said gently. "It'll come to you."

Merlin nodded slowly and squeezed his eyes shut. "I just...everything's a jumble here and I'm trying to make sense of it." He murmured tiredly. He reopened his eyes and said, "I don't think I can remember anything else."

Gaius nodded. "That's completely understandable." He replied and squeezed Merlin's shoulder. The physician looked over at Arthur and said, "We'll leave you to rest a bit more until you're comfortable."

Merlin nodded and Arthur and Gaius stood up. Gaius walked out first. Arthur was about to close the door when Merlin called, "Arthur."

The blonde turned around slowly to look at Merlin, who was giving him a sad, sympathetic look. "I...really am sorry, you know. For not remembering. You seem like a nice person."

Arthur felt a lump rising in his throat and swallowed around it. He managed a small smile and looked down at the ground. He cleared his throat and said, "You...wouldn't have said that if you knew me. You used to call me a prat most of the time."

Merlin smiled sadly and said, "I probably never meant it."

Arthur couldn't bring himself to answer.

* * *

**A/N: Aaand that's all I could come up with...for now. I'm thinking of making this a three-part story because really, concussed!Merlin is so angsty and the Arthur feels are too strong to put in just one chapter. **

**As always, please review! Give constructive criticism if you have any and please don't flame!**


	9. Don't Forget About Me - Part Two

**Aaand I'm back! :) Thank you so much for all of the great support from the last chapter, you guys, it means a lot. :) And to clear up any questions - I'm going to let you guys assume that Merlin still remembers that he has magic. I mean, he remembers Ealdor and Hunith and his childhood, so...however, I'm not going to make that really clear - this arc isn't going to revolve around that little tidbit. Sorry. *winces* I can be sooo lazy like that sometimes and it's a bad habit. :/ **

**However, read on - enjoy! :) **

* * *

Plot: Merlin hit his head, leading to a temporary concussion. For several scary hours, he's unconscious and wakes up in a fragile, weak state. And then, for some odd reason, he can't remember who _Arthur_ is.

_"__Don't Forget About Me" – Part Two_

xXx

Arthur put aside all other duties he had for that day. He couldn't focus on the Council meetings or the training sessions he had with the knights or the speeches he was supposed to be writing or even the discussion he was having with Guinevere.

"Arthur, are you feeling alright?" The maidservant asked, her brow furrowing. "You look ill."

The prince shook his head and managed a weak smile. "I'm not ill," he replied. "I…Merlin can't remember me."

Guinevere's eyes widened and she brought a hand over her mouth in shock. "Are…are you sure?" She stammered. "Do you mean he can't remember _anything_? Is he alright? Are _you _alright?"

Arthur ran a hand through his hair and replied, "I'm sure, Guinevere. I don't know why, but he can't seem to remember _me _only. He remembers Gaius, Ealdor, you…" His voice trailed off as he felt heat gather behind his eyes. He brought his hands to his face tiredly, trying to discreetly rub away the tears that were threatening to appear.

Guinevere sighed sadly and lowered Arthur's hands to give him a reassuring smile. "Gaius is helping him, isn't he?"

Arthur nodded, not trusting himself to use his voice.

Guinevere squeezed one of Arthur's hands and said, "Then, Merlin will be alright. Who knows, in a few days, Merlin might come back around and remember who you are. Until then, we'll just hope."

The prince nodded slowly and with a brave smile at Guinevere, walked away. Though he had been temporarily comforted by the maidservant's words, doubt still ate away at his heart. Would Merlin really remember him? How long would it take?

"I'll ask Gaius – he should be able to provide me with an answer by now." Arthur reasoned aloud. _And maybe Merlin's memory improved just a little bit by now…_

He made his way through the many hallways and corridors until finally, he came to a stop in front of the court physician's chambers. Arthur opened the door and poked his head inside. "Gaius?" He called, but there wasn't any answer.

Arthur frowned and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Gaius?" He asked again, only a bit louder.

"Gaius isn't here right now."

Arthur turned to see Merlin sitting at the workbench, flipping pages through a book. The prince let out a soft sigh and walked over to the younger man. "Do you…know when he'll come back?" He asked awkwardly. It felt so odd, talking so formerly to Merlin.

"In a few hours, I reckon." Merlin replied cheerfully, closing the book. He looked up at Arthur and gestured to the seat across from him. "Would you like to sit down?" He asked.

Arthur looked down and nodding slowly, sat down before Merlin. For a few seconds, the two didn't do much except simply stare at each other. It was the funniest feeling – neither Arthur nor Merlin looked away during this entire time. Merlin's blue-grey eyes stared intently into Arthur's blue ones, whereas Arthur was simply searching for _any _signs of recognition from the younger man.

Arthur held his breath – a minute passed. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds.

Thirty seconds. Forty seconds.

When Merlin remained as expressionless as ever, Arthur let out a small sigh and lowered his head to the table tiredly. He felt Merlin's eyes following him, but he didn't show any signs of acknowledgement. _This…was the most frustrating feeling _ever.

Arthur had a strong urge to jump up on the table and _just shake Merlin _by the shoulders. _"You idiot!" _Arthur wanted to yell. _"Why can't you remember me? I tried to take your head off with a mace, remember? You saved me from that knife, remember? I was there to get the flower when you were poisoned by Nimueh and you defeated the Great Dragon with me and…and…and…and…" _

Arthur was feeling out-of-breath just from _thinking _about he was going to say – goodness. He propped himself up with his hands and looked back up at Merlin, who was giving him the same, curious stare. _Why did he keep doing that? Just talk!_

The prince sighed and asked slowly, "Well…how are you feeling?"

Merlin startled, as though he hadn't expected Arthur to say anything, but quickly recovered with a shrug. "I'm doing better now." He replied quietly. "My head doesn't hurt as badly as it did before and…" Merlin's eyes unfocused and he slowly started to slide off his seat.

Before Arthur even knew what was going on, he lunged towards Merlin and gently pushed him towards the bench. Arthur slid into the seat next to Merlin and held the younger man steady. Merlin made a small gasping sound and with a cry, fell straight into Arthur's arms.

The prince felt dread and panic pooling in his stomach – what was he supposed to do? Was this normal for Merlin? _Oh, God…_

Arthur took a deep breath and simply held Merlin as he slowly started to come back around. Merlin let out another strangled cry and looked up at the prince, wide-eyed. "Arthur," the younger man gasped. "Arthur…"

Arthur blinked and asked hoarsely, "Do you remember me?"

Merlin stared up at the prince and for a second, realization dawned in his blue-grey eyes. A smile flickered on his lips but then, it vanished. Merlin's eyes slid back out of focus and he blinked rapidly, as if he was trying to grab a hold of what was going on around him.

Arthur felt his heart plunge into his stomach and asked quietly, "Do you remember me?"

Merlin slowly separated himself away from Arthur and stared. "I…remember you? No – I never met you before, remember?" He asked, confused and shook his head. He rubbed his temples and re-opened his book as though nothing happened.

With that, weak flame of hope that had bloomed in Arthur's chest was quickly extinguished.

* * *

**A/N: One more chapter of this arc, folks! Review, give constructive criticism if you have any, but please don't flame!**


	10. Don't Forget About Me - Part Three

**Wow, thank you guys for the response! It's certainly great to know that I have people reading out there. XD Anyways, this is the continuation of concussed!Merlin, in which the final ends are being tied together and et cetera. I had trouble writing this bit, (*sigh*), but I sincerely hope you guys like it, anyways. :) **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Plot: Merlin hit his head, leading to a temporary concussion. For several scary hours, he's unconscious and wakes up in a fragile, weak state. And then, for some odd reason, he can't remember who Arthur is.

_"__Don't Forget About Me" – Part Three_

xXx

It wasn't until two days later when Arthur properly re-visited Merlin in Gaius' chambers. He couldn't bring himself to talk or even _look _at Merlin without feeling as though his heart was being shattered into millions of pieces. Arthur drowned himself in work, only occasionally going to Gaius' chambers when absolutely necessary.

Arthur hadn't even planned on seeing Merlin until he had received word from Gaius to come immediately to his chambers. He was now standing beside the workbench, tapping his fingers lightly against the hard wood to keep himself busy.

Someone cleared a throat from behind Arthur and he whirled around to face who it was. Merlin was standing in the doorway, an eyebrow lifted and staring uneasily at the prince. Arthur felt his stomach give a little kick but he simply cleared his throat. "Hello, Merlin." He said.

"Hello, Arthur." Merlin replied with a small nod and pointed awkwardly behind himself. "Gaius is…coming. I'll leave you two at it, then."

Arthur nodded in reply and with another awkward exchange of looks between the two young men, Merlin quickly walked into his bedroom in the back of the room. Arthur let out a slow exhale that he hadn't realized he was holding and blinked, realizing that he was staring at Merlin's closed bedroom door. The prince quickly turned away and whirled around to see Gaius walking into the room.

"Gaius – you called me." Arthur said, crossing his arms. "Is there something wrong?"

The physician gave a small nod at Merlin's bedroom. "There might be a possible way of having Merlin's memory of you restored." He said slowly. Arthur's arms dropped limply to his sides and asked, "There is? What happened to Merlin, exactly? Is it magic?"

Gaius nodded in reply. "There _is _magic at work." He replied quietly. "It appears that this particular sorcerer wanted Merlin to…forget about you on purpose."

Arthur blinked. "But, why? Why was it so important that Merlin would forget about me?" He asked incredulously.

"He is your manservant, sire." Gaius replied neutrally, but before Arthur could ask on any elaborations, the physician went on to say, "I've been a fool for not recognizing it sooner – however, I have come to a solution."

Arthur rubbed his brow. "Well, go on – what is it?" He asked. "What's the solution?"

Gaius paused and then replied, "Sire, I'm sure you're aware by now that if something is created or caused by magic, the only way how to fight it would be to _use _magic."

Arthur's heart sank and placed his hands over his face tiredly. "So, you're telling me _you _will have to use magic…" He murmured softly.

"It is the only way to have Merlin's magic restored." Gaius replied quietly.

Arthur lowered his hands and placed his hand on the workbench. He paused and glanced at the doorway, in case someone happened to be listening. He looked back at Gaius and replied through gritted teeth, "If it'll help Merlin, do it. Do _not _tell my father."

Already, Arthur felt guilt prodding and poking at him all over, but he quickly shoved those feelings away. Surely, using magic _once _to help a friend couldn't be _too bad_. And besides, it was _Merlin _Arthur was thinking about. If Arthur could help his friend, he would go as far as to using magic – maybe even going behind his father – to do so.

"Are you sure, sire? It is a great risk." The older man said in a low voice.

"It doesn't matter now." Arthur replied tightly. "Just…do what you can."

With that, the prince strode out of the physician's chambers. His heart and brain was racing and pounding in his ears – if there was _anyone _to find out about what would happen in the next hours…

_At least Merlin will remember me, _Arthur thought to himself. _And besides, it's not like Merlin would be able to know if I used magic or not…_

xXx

"You used _magic_?!" Merlin hissed the second Arthur walked into the younger man's bedroom later that day. Arthur blinked and closed the door quickly. He turned back around to face his friend and crossed his arms. "Nice to see you, too, _Mer_lin," he said lightly, trying to avoid the topic.

Merlin stood up from his bed and walked over to Arthur, his eyes wide. "You used magic." He repeated. "You…I _know _you did, Arthur."

Arthur sighed and rubbed his brow. "And _how _would you be sure of that?" He asked.

"I saw it happen – I may have been concussed, but I wasn't _blind!_" Merlin retorted, crossing his arms.

Arthur rolled his eyes and replied, "Alright, Merlin, I'm so terribly sorry you're upset. I promise I won't _ever _try to help you out in any way _ever again_."

Merlin snorted and shook his head in what appeared to be an exasperated manner, but when he looked up, there was a smile on his face. He undid his arms and replied, "Er…thank you, though. It would have been…odd, not to know who you are. Who you _really _are, I mean." He added hastily.

Arthur's face softened and he simply gave a small nod in reply. "It's fine." He replied and re-opened the door. "I'll expect you to be in my chambers tomorrow morning, of course."

A small, light chuckle escaped out of Merlin's lips and he replied, "Of course. Obviously."

Arthur smiled again and turned back around. "I'm glad you're back, Merlin." He said quietly and left Merlin in a stunned silence.

* * *

**A/N - I think this little arc would take place around mid-late season one to mid-season two, when Merlin and Arthur's friendship isn't _totally _blossomed yet, but Arthur still cares about Merlin, even though he's too proud and prattish to admit it. XD **

**Sorry for any OOC-ness, but...*sighs* I _did _say I was having trouble writing this chapter. I was a bit desperate to get _something _done. As always, please leave a review - give constructive criticism if you have any, but no flames! Requests are also open!**


	11. A Birthday Cancellation

**Hello, everyone! I'm sorry for the late update - I'm writing on my phone because I'm away from home and I was unable to bring my laptop. I sincerely hope you guys haven't decided to give up on me. **

**I'm aware I probably have a few requests to fulfill, but for today, I'll just upload this little piece.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Plot: [Future fic - AU] Merlin gets sick on Arthur's birthday.

_"A Birthday Cancellation" _

Arthur Pendragon hadn't seen his Court Sorcerer since last night when he had invited him for dinner, as he had done for the past five years when the Court Sorcerer was a valid job occupation in Camelot's royal court. So much had changed within these five years, actually - for one, _Merlin _was the Court Sorcerer. How could he not? He saved Arthur's life, after all. Gaius passed, however - of course, a new physician was placed in the Court, though it was not quite the same. He was sorely missed.

Arthur and Guinevere also had a child - a young, healthy, bright-eyed boy called Elyan, who the parents decided to name after Guinevere's brave brother. However, despite these many changes, Arthur and Merlin's friendship remained intact - though Arthur was the King of Camelot, Merlin still preferred to call him a 'royal prat' once in a while. And, of course, while Merlin was a wise, kind-hearted sorcerer, he was still dubbed as an idiot from Arthur.

There were just some things that stuck, no matter how much time passes.

Now, it was noon and Merlin was nowhere to be found. At least, he hadn't come to visit Arthur at all, which was most unusual. And today was Arthur's _birthday. _Of course, the King was automatically saddened at the fact that both of his parents had passed on this day, but he always counted on his best friend to be there.

So, naturally, Arthur was concerned.

There were several shouts of glee from outside - it appeared that the entertainment for the birthday celebrations had already arrived. _Merlin would be excited, _Arthur couldn't help but to think, peering out the window.

Sure enough, a small group of awed citizens and children (Elyan being one of them,) were watching people in multi-colored costumes juggle flaming sticks, breathe out butterflies, and twist themselves into unimaginable figures.

Arthur sighed and took a step away from the window. He crossed his chambers and opened the door, only to come to his startled wife.

"Arthur," Guinevere said, surprised. "I thought you were outside - what are you doing inside on a day like this?"

"I was thinking," Arthur replied. "Have you seen Merlin? I haven't seen that idiot this entire day and it's rather unsettling."

Guinevere shook her head, a pleat of wrinkles appearing at her brow. "Now that you mention it, I haven't." She said slowly. Then, she placed a hand on Arthur's arm. "But I'm _sure _he's absolutely fine - maybe he slept in. You know how busy he can get."

Arthur sighed. "I suppose you're right." He murmured and then, giving his wife a quick kiss on the forehead, turned to walk down the corridor. "But that's no excuse to miss my birthday!"

He heard Guinevere utter a little exasperated sigh, but he didn't pay much attention to it - besides, he had every right to know where Merlin was and, heaven forbid, if he was safe. Arthur hurried around the castle until he came to a stop in front of Merlin's chambers. Why he didn't check here before, he had no idea - it wasn't his fault, necessarily - he couldn't help it if his schedule was packed.

"Merlin?" Arthur called, pushing the doors open. Immediately, there was a small, startled cry, followed by a crash and a sharp "ouch!" Arthur frowned and took a few steps forward. "Merlin?" He called again. "Are you alright?"

There was the sound of a breath being sucked in - then, "I'm fine! Give me a minute!" Arthur waited patiently (as he could, anyways,) by the doors until finally, Merlin staggered out.

Arthur instantly noticed that there was something wrong with his friend. Merlin unsteadily walked over to Arthur, discreetly rubbing his forehead with a pained expression on his face. The younger man's face was pale except in his cheeks, which was alight with an unhealthy, pink-red glow. Arthur could even spot the beads of sweat gathering at Merlin's brow.

"What happened to you?" Arthur asked incredulously, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and examining him. "You're a mess."

Merlin blinked owlishly and gently pulled away. "I'm fine," he said, his voice barely reaching over a whisper now, which struck Arthur odd, especially since Merlin had sounded decent just a few minutes ago. "Just a bit tired - I didn't get much sleep last night."

Before Arthur could say anything else, Merlin's knees buckled. Arthur's eyes enlarged as he ducked down to grab Merlin before he could hit the ground. He slowly lowered himself to the floor and adjusted his grip on Merlin. The younger man's eyes were closed now - he didn't show any acknowledgement at what was going on around him.

"Merlin?" Arthur whispered, quickly lifting his friend in his arms. He peered down at his friend and, realizing that he wasn't going to get an answer just yet, marched over to Merlin's bed and gently placed him on top of the mattress.

It took some time, but Arthur started to undress Merlin and put him into something more comfortable. It didn't take too much time for Arthur to figure out that the Court Sorcerer was ill, though.

In a flash, Arthur was doing anything and everything to help Merlin. It wasn't really a challenge, either - Arthur had usually taken care of his friend when he was sick, aftEr all, as Merlin had done for him.

Time passed - surprisingly, Arthur and Merlin were not disturbed until early evening. The door creaked open and Arthur whirled around to see who it was.

Guinevere and Elyan were standing at the door, wearing identical, relieved expressions. "There you are, Father!" Elyan shrieked, immediately running forward to greet Arthur. The King managed a smile and scooped his son into his arms. "Hello, Elyan," he said quietly, looking down at Merlin's bed. The younger man had not stirred at all, to his relief.

"What's wrong with Merlin?" Elyan asked, following his father's gaze. "Why's he sleeping? It's too early!"

Arthur laughed quietly and replied, "Merlin is feeling poorly today, Elyan - he needs to sleep. So, we need to keep quiet, alright?"

"Like mice?" Elyan asked, eyes wide with interest. "Mother told me about quiet mice." Arthur smiled and nodded. "Exactly, Elyan - just like mice."

Elyan looked down at Merlin, a doubtful expression on his face. "Well, I don't want to be quiet, Father. It's boring." He gave an odd, little sigh and continued, "But if it'll help Uncle Merlin, I'll be a mouse."

Arthur smiled again. "Thank you, Elyan - now, why don't you go play for a bit? I think Mother wants to talk to me for a bit." He said, catching Guinevere's eye. The two adults shared a small grim before looking down at Elyan, who sighed again.

"Alright." He said dejectedly. He hopped off of Arthur's arms and ran out of the room in search for entertainment. Once Elyan was out of the room, Arthur turned to his wife. "Is there something wrong?" He asked lightly.

"I was actually about to ask you the same thing - you we're not seen for the entire afternoon, and your birthday celebrations are about to begin." Guinevere replied. "I was worried."

Arthur sighed and reached out, giving Guinevere's hand a squeeze. "I'm fine - Merlin's not, though," he said, gesturing to his friend. Guinevere's brow furrowed and she frowned. "Is it bad?"

"A bit," Arthur replied quietly. "I can't bring myself to leave him alone - turns out he didn't get enough sleep last night. Or the past few nights, for that matter."

Guinevere shook her head. "Oh, Merlin," she tsked softly. She turned to Arthur. "Bit shouldn't you come down? You look tired - maybe you should take a break and have someone else look over Merlin."

Arthur smiled dryly to his wife. "Not today, Guinevere - I'm not in a mood for celebration." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Do you mind telling our guests that the celebrations can be held off for tomorrow?"

Guinevere pressed her lips against Arthur's forehead. "Of course," she said quietly. "I understand." With a small, gentle smile, she stood up and giving Merlin's hand a squeeze, left the room.

Arthur and Merlin were now alone. The King looked down at Merlin and gently judged the compress on his forehead into a different position. A small trail of cool water traced down the side of Merlin's face and with a low, throaty groan, the warlock's eyes opened.

"Good morning..." Merlin murmured sleepily as Arthur immediately started to fuss over his friend. "Or, is it...nighttime?"

"Just about nightfall, actually." Arthur said quietly. "Are you thirsty?"

Merlin nodded sluggishly and within a few moments, Arthur had a cup of cool water in his hands. He slowly tilted Merlin's chin and helped him drink down the water. There were a few moments of silence between the men and then, suddenly, Merlin's eyes widened. He violently sat up and threw off his blankets.

"It's your birthday! What are you doing here? You have guests and -" He was cut off as Arthur gently pushed Merlin back into a bed and helped him under the covers. "It's all fine, Merlin - I think the celebrations can hold off for another day."

Merlin looked up guiltily at Arthur. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.

Arthur smiled and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's alright - besides, your health is more important to me."

And that was that.

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**A/N: I'm sorry for any typos - writing on my phone is not an easy task, I tell you. And I'm sorry if the scenario isn't totally realistic. :/ **

**Mad always, pleeeease leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts - constructive criticism is always allowed, but flames are not!**


	12. Sleep

**I'm hoooome! *sighs and hugs my laptop* I can finally type on a proper keyboard! Anyways - I needed to update this story because well...I have an obsession with updating stories, even if it's been about three or four days since I've updated this story. (Wow, I said the word ****_update _****a lot in that last sentence...O.O) **

**I know I still need to fulfill some requests, but I was just doing some freestyle writing. I'll release those chapters that you guys requested, though, I promise! *wiggles pinky* **

**No extreme sick or injured Merlin here - just some hurt, sad Merlin and caring Arthur, as usual. :) (I'm thinking of doing a ****_Taking Care of Arthur _****fic, but I'm not sure whether to go on with another story - what do you guys think?) **

**Enjoy! **

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Plot: After an exhausting, painful day, Arthur finds Merlin falling asleep sitting up. [Future-ish fic. AU]

_"__Sleep" _

It was an exhausting and painful day for Merlin, and Arthur Pendragon knew why. Maybe it was because he was there to witness what the source of Merlin's sadness was, maybe it was because Arthur was saddened himself, or maybe it was just because he knew his friend as well as he knew himself.

Either way, Arthur was worried about what might become of Merlin.

The two were in Ealdor, Merlin's home village – it had been quite some time since both men had been there at there at the same time. Arthur knew that Merlin went to Ealdor on weekends – he allowed it. After all, every man, no matter how young or old, needed to spend some time with his family, even if it didn't hold many people.

Arthur usually liked to see Merlin after his visit to Ealdor – there was always a refreshed bounce in his step, a brighter smile on his face, and for a few minutes, Arthur would catch a glimpse of the younger man who he used to see so often when he was still a prince. Not that Arthur didn't prefer Merlin the way he was now, of course – one year after Merlin was made Court Sorcerer, he was still the same, good person, even with new worries and stress-inducing events being pressed to his back.

So, Arthur wasn't really too worried when Merlin announced that he wished to go to Ealdor for a few days – if anything, the King had been a bit relieved. Merlin needed some time to himself, away from any kind of stress.

But then, Arthur heard the reason behind Merlin's sudden need to disappear from Camelot – according to Guinevere and Gaius, (who were rather hesitant to tell Arthur,) Merlin had received news that his mother was on her deathbed. She was ill and there were only a few days left for her to live.

Well, once _those _words were said, Arthur didn't waste any time. He immediately rode after Merlin. He _needed _to go after Merlin. Arthur remembered how he felt when his father was dying – it wasn't a good feeling.

Not good at all.

He didn't want Merlin to be alone.

And so it was, Arthur watched and helped Merlin quietly bury Hunith. There weren't many words exchanged between the two, and whenever Arthur _did _try to offer some words, Merlin wouldn't hear any of it. The blonde figured that Merlin would need his own time.

"I'll go back to Camelot tomorrow morning." Merlin said at last as the two men sat outside of the small house that Merlin and Hunith used to live in. His voice was hoarse from being silent for so long. "You should go on."

"I'm not leaving without you." Arthur replied without hesitating. He turned to look at Merlin, ready to shoot down any protest that his friend might speak of. "We'll go back to Camelot together."

Merlin sighed tiredly and simply walked back into the house. Taken a back, Arthur stared after his friend. Merlin couldn't even put up a fight – perhaps it would be best for Arthur to not say much at all for tonight. He let out a puff of breath and turned back around, kicking halfheartedly at the ground. He wasn't quite sure how long he was outside – the stars were beginning to appear in the sky and the sun had set a while ago.

There wasn't much activity in Ealdor – most of the villagers had already gone to sleep, though Arthur didn't go inside just yet. Though he remembered the grief he felt when Uther died, he also remembered how Merlin left him so time to mourn by himself. It suddenly dawned to Arthur how he was mirroring his actions with Merlin's without recognizing it before. Then again, how could he not? The least he could do for his friend was do the same exact thing that Merlin had done for him.

Arthur took a deep breath and remained outside for a few more minutes. He watched a few birds fly across the sky and observed the stars. He occasionally drew random designs on the ground with a branch, though they were nothing more than messy, senseless squiggles.

Finally, once the cool, brisk air of the night was getting to Arthur, he ducked inside the house. A small fire was still going, much to Arthur's relief, though that wasn't what caught his attention first.

Merlin was sitting across the fire, though his eyes were closed. Arthur frowned and took a few steps towards his friend. The dark-haired man's chin had fallen to his chest, and his arms were slowly slipping from his legs, which were folded together to his torso. Arthur smiled gently and crouched down next to Merlin. The younger man had, unknowingly, fallen asleep whilst sitting up.

"Oh, Merlin," Arthur murmured and stood back up to go look for a blanket. After a few minutes of searching through the small house, he managed to pull one out. Draping it over Merlin's shoulders, Arthur sat down on the ground and watched the flames of the fire. He heard a small sigh escape out of Merlin's lips and before he knew it, his friend's head had landed on Arthur's shoulder.

Arthur froze, wondering if Merlin would wake. For a few seconds, Arthur held the same, stiff pose until he was absolutely sure that Merlin was fast asleep. He carefully adjusted the blanket around Merlin and wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders. Arthur was about to drift off himself when Merlin's eyes fluttered open.

The blonde looked down, afraid that Merlin would possibly push Arthur away (even though that was highly unlikely – Arthur knew that Merlin was too kind to do that, but Arthur was still uneasy,) but the younger man simply murmured, "What're you…doing?"

"Helping." Arthur replied quietly. "What else am I supposed to do?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Merlin's lips, though he didn't say anything. Arthur watched silently as his friend slowly drifted back to sleep.

The King sighed and squeezed Merlin's arm. He would watch over him for the night, just as Merlin had done for him.

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**A/N: I know, I'm sorry about how short this is, but quality is what counts, right? *halfhearted smile* **

**As always, review! If you guys can hit that fave/follow button, I know you can take two-ten seconds more to tell me what you guys think of this chapter. I'll accept constructive criticism, but no flames, please! *Merlin puppy eyes***


	13. Limp

**Yay, I finally decided to update this story! I'm sorry for the wait - it took me a while to think up of this plot. This chapter was requested by ihuntwithwinchesters, who wanted the chapter to have something to do with ****_The Hollow Queen, _****the eighth episode of the fifth season. **

**The next chapter will go to guest reviewer BookLover321, and then I'll have the chapter after that with an idea of my own...and then I'll go back to looking at requests. :) **

**With all of that said, enjoy!**

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Plot: [Alternate ending to 5x08] Arthur wants to know _why exactly _Merlin was limping.

_"Limp"_

"So, _why exactly _are you walking with a limp?" Arthur asked Merlin as soon as the dishes were cleared away. Guinevere had left and honestly, Arthur had been waiting for her to leave. He wanted to talk to Merlin alone, especially since he hadn't seen him in a few days.

Not that Arthur missed him.

Or worried about him.

Definitely not.

He blinked and looked over at the blonde, who was staring at him quizzically from his chair. Arthur rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't give me that look, _Mer_lin – it's so hard to get annoyed with you when you do that." He said, exasperated.

Merlin frowned. "What look? I have a look?" He asked, lifting a confused eyebrow.

"Of _course _you have a look," Arthur snorted, sliding out of his seat. He made his way to Merlin, who hadn't moved a single step from his spot. "Go on, then – tell me what you're hiding. You _know _I'm going to find out about it sooner or later, like I always do."

"Like you always do?" Merlin asked, smiling.

"Yes – don't you know? I can tell whenever you're hiding something from me, Merlin." Arthur said cheerfully, giving Merlin a hearty thump on the back. The younger man simply smiled back at Arthur, though there was something tight and strained about it – Arthur had started to notice that Merlin always wore that expression whenever he said something like that.

It secretly troubled the King a bit – it was almost as though Merlin knew something that _he _didn't, but that was _ridiculous. _So, pushing those thoughts aside, Arthur went on, "Come on, Merlin! You've already been caught. To hell with it – just tell me why and I'll leave you alone."

Merlin puffed out an exasperated breath and he shrugged. "I…tripped." He replied. "Fell over a branch. Hurt myself on the fall. There's nothing else to it." He replied. He turned back around to take the dishes. "Were you expecting a long, detailed story about the girl I tried to visit and how I got my limp _that _way?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Don't act as though you're above me, Merlin – it's _so _unfitting." He said. "But are you sure that's all? Just a trip? Just a fall?"

"Pretty sure, yeah," Merlin replied lightly. "Again, were you expecting something else?"

Arthur sighed as Merlin started to walk – limp – out of the doors. The King frowned and stared at Merlin's retreating back. He kept having the odd, strange feeling that Merlin wasn't telling him the entire story. Not really, not quite. For one, Arthur still couldn't wrap his head around the concept that Merlin was out with a _girl_.

During the entire time he was eating dinner with Guinevere, Merlin was hesitant and awkward whilst describing the particular person. There were many pauses and holes during the entire discussion and even in those uncomfortable silences, Merlin wouldn't offer any words, which is what he would have usually done.

This entire day had been something of a mystery for Arthur in general.

"Merlin, wait." Arthur said suddenly, placing his hands at his hips. The younger man came to a stop outside of the doors and poked his head back in the room. "What?" He asked. "Did I forget any more dishes? Because I promise, I'll get them in a few minutes. Let me just –"

"So keen on getting back to work, aren't you, Merlin?" Arthur asked teasingly, walking over to his friend. He dragged Merlin (who was now protesting, naturally,) to a chair and sat him down. "If you won't tell me how you _really _began limping, at least let me take a look at your leg." Arthur said calmly.

"What for?" Merlin asked.

Now was the tricky part. Arthur chewed on the inside of his cheek and managed to reply, "I can't have my manservant hobbling around like an old man, can I? Now, come on, let's see it."

Merlin smiled, a genuine one this time. "Were you worried about me?" He asked, amused. Arthur felt a flush creeping up to his neck. "Don't be such a girl, Merlin," he said gruffly. "And just show me the leg."

Merlin rolled his eyes and hitched his leg up on the chair. He rolled up one of the fabric legs of the pants, revealing a medium-sized gash. Arthur could tell that it had already been treated, though that didn't stop his worry. He frowned, staring at the wound. "And you said you fell?" He asked suspiciously.

Merlin hastily pushed the fabric back over his leg. "Fell on a rock. It's not as bad as it looks." He replied casually with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'll stop limping in a few days, if it really bothers you."

Arthur's gaze didn't linger from the spot where the wound was. He frowned and looked back up at Merlin. "Did something happen when you were coming back to Camelot? Or did something happen while you were…visiting this girl?"

At Merlin's silence, Arthur continued, "Or was there even a girl at all?"

Merlin shifted his eyes down to the ground. Arthur sighed and sat down on the ground. "Merlin," he said slowly, "is there something you would like to tell me?"

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**A/N: And then, the following episodes goes on...and et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. For anyone who is interested, I _will _be proceeding with the _Taking Care of Arthur _story, only it'll take a bit longer because I have so many other stories to complete, and I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, especially with school just around the corner. O.O**

**As always, please review! If you can take two seconds to hit that fave/follow button, I'm fairly sure you can take two more to tell me what you thought of this installment. **

**I'm sorry if this was a bit rushed - I was desperate to get a chapter of this story posted. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but flames are not! **


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